Jail warning for unlicensed mother of six

A MOTHER OF SIX has fronted court over a series of unlicensed driving charges, which her lawyer admitted moved her “perilously close” to a jail term.

Jessica Jose, 25, from Cardigan, pleaded guilty to six charges in Ballarat Magistrates Court yesterday, including three of unlicensed driving, two of driving an unregistered motor vehicle and one of driving without number plates.

The court heard Jose was picked up by police three times between November last year and July this year, on top of one prior unlicensed driving charge.

On the first occasion she was seen switching into the passenger seat as police arrived.

After she was pulled over another time, Jose told police she drove because “I was hungry”.

Defence lawyer David Tamanika said the offending was far from sophisticated.

“These offences seem to simply be a lack of organisation,” he said. “They seem to be travelling very short distances.”

But he acknowledged that Jose was “perilously close to being in much more significant trouble”.

Magistrate John Lesser fined Jose $1050 with conviction.

“My advice is simple: don’t get behind the wheel of a car until you have a licence,” he said.

“If you keep driving without a licence you will end up in jail, there’s no doubt about it.”